A ground cable or shielded cable is generally provided with reticulated conductors which serve to ground or shield the interior of the cable. A conventional clamp for fixing such a cable includes a clamping element as well as two biasing elements which cooperate to urge the clamping element against the cable. One of the biasing elements is constituted by an electrically conductive, e.g., metallic, threaded collar while the other biasing element can be constituted by a retaining nut designed to mesh with the collar. The nut engages the clamping element along an annular interface in the region of an end face of the clamping element. The clamping element is provided with clamping fingers which, upon tightening of the nut and collar, are urged radially against the cable. In order to bias the clamping fingers radially, at least one of the clamping element, nut and collar is formed with a tapering portion, e.g., a rounded or conical portion. The clamping element is further provided with an extension which stretches away from the clamping fingers and uninsulated segments of the reticulated conductors project axially from the extension. These uninsulated segments function to establish an electrical connection.
A clamp of this character is known from the German Offenlegungsschrift 23 48 882. The clamping element is here made from sheet metal bent to the form of a ring which is open at one side. The thickness of the ring is a maximum in a central zone of the ring and decreases progressively towards the ends of the ring. A clamping zone of the ring is pressed against the surface of the cable by annular shoulders on the nut while an opposite zone is pressed against the uninsulated conductor segments via a shoulder on the collar. The pressing force thus depends essentially on the elasticity of the ring, that is, the clamping forces available for stress relief are limited. Moreover, it is not always possible to prevent the edges of the ring from damaging the cable insulation when the ring is clamped against the insulated part of the cable.
Since the ring has a certain inherent stiffness, there is also no assurance that the pressing force on either the insulated part of the cable or the uninsulated conductor segments will be uniform. Furthermore, assembly of the clamp is difficult because the clamping ring is initially loose and is fixed only after tightening of the nut and collar. Accordingly, undesired axial shifting of the clamping ring during assembly cannot be ruled out.